Harrington leads Terry in race for Washington County Chair

The race for a new head of the Washington County Board of Commissioners appears to be over, with Kathryn Harrington leading the Washington County chair race with 59 percent of the votes, according to unofficial election results released Tuesday night, Nov. 6.

Her opponent, County Commissioner Bob Terry held 41 percent as of Tuesday night. The two are in a runoff election after neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote during a May primary.

"I think this win tonight is a testament of what can happen when people take it upon themselves to stand up against the status quo and take action for what they believe in," Harrington said Tuesday night. "I really look forward to getting right to work and working together with everyone so that we can shape a stronger Washington County for everyone — for all who call this place home."

Harrington, a Beaverton resident, has served on the Metro Council for three terms, representing much of western Washington County, including northwest Beaverton, Hillsboro, Cornelius and Forest Grove. She was formerly a high-tech worker for Central Point Software and later Intel.

Terry, who lives south of Hillsboro, is serving his second term as a county commissioner where he represents Hillsboro, west to Forest Grove and beyond. He was formerly a public member of the county budget committee and a retired nursery owner, having run Fisher Farms for about 20 years.

The four-year term County Chair position was previously held by Andy Duyck, who served for two consecutive terms — and 16 years as a Washington County Commissioner before that.

A largely controversial race, Harrington and Terry have been considered polar opposites — taking different stances on almost every topic in question.

Harrington has been critical of the current county government, particularly on issues such as housing and transportation, while Terry has supported it.

As a Metro councilor, Harrington was a strong supporter of Measure 26-199, the Metro Council's proposal to raise $652.8 million for housing. Washington County's projected share is $188 million.